my baby started his first job

[Zoe Girl]

My 'baby' is 17 1/2 mind you and has taken his GED so he is done with school. He is still my baby. He is working at a fast food burger place, first day was 11 hours and today is 10. So he will get money after a long time without any income other than the little spending money I give him. And it is good he got a job without having to change his appearance (he has dreads to his shoulders).

I know some people wanted updates on my family, so here is the son version. He has had social anxiety around school. His sophomore year we tried so hard, teachers worked with us and the school. Junior year with counseling and medication he was not getting through the door. We switched to a great new supportive school and he made it 2 days. It was frustrating because the majority of alternatives are for kids who are having issues with behavior/criminal justice systems or struggle academically. He is considered moderately gifted and has never been in any trouble. So we decided to switch and take the GED and get a job. After he gets settled he can take college tests and see what he may want to do longer term.

[rodeosweetheart]

Zoe, congratulations, that is wonderful. What a great first job, and he will grow from it, for sure.

My twin sons are very much like your son, I think. One finished hs kicking and screaming and then dropped out of college. One dropped out of hs, got a GED, then went to college with no difficulty at all. So it is definitely going to be fine, and your son is on his way to better, happier things.

High school seems to really suck these days, for many young people.

[Float On]

Congrats on his first job. That was a long first day! Quite an introduction.
Living in a tourism town there are lots of jobs for teens and college kids around here. Both my boys work for a go-cart/bumper boat park and one of them has a 2nd job in retail. He was at Tommy and now is at Hollister and learning to be much more 'relaxed and casual' at work. I think I liked the Tommy structure better....plus I could see in the store.
One thing I told my boys was that for their first job they could not get a 'server' job. That's what I did at a high end restaurant and I struggled with budgets and saving because "I'll just earn more tips tomorrow so I can spend all this today". The first time I got a job where I had to wait 2 weeks for a paycheck was so hard.

[Zoe Girl]

rodeo and float, thank you. I have honesty struggled with only one out of three kids getting traditional degrees from high school and none doing higher education right now. Almost all of the women in my family age 70 and younger have masters degrees, many of the men have BA's but the women go further. One grandmother has a PhD, although the horrible relationship and person that she is may affect their attitude.

I am still hoping my son will continue with either his interest in the culinary arts or math/science. I am concerned my kids have internalized my financial struggles and just have decided they can't do any of this. Still proud of them getting through school and being independent people.

[Tammy]

Although my 3 kids completed 4 years of college, none of them are working in their field of study. Nor are any of their jobs requiring a degree. I'm glad they lived at home and took advantage of free and reduced offerings along the way. Two of them only had 10,000 borrowed at graduation and the other paid it all as he went.

I no longer believe that college is a good deal or the best plan. It's good if you need it for a high paid career, the way I've used my degrees in my nursing career. But otherwise, I don't think its a given like it used to be.

[Gardenarian]

I had a lot of problems in high school and left early as well.
Working at various jobs (including a stint at Burger King) really helped me to discover my strengths. It was also nice to find out that the world at large is not controlled by the arbitrary and cruel rules of the high school social hierarchy. It took me a while to get on my feet (I think of myself as a late bloomer in every way) but by my mid-20s I knew where I was headed.
Sometimes having a rough patch early forces one to grow. I'm glad I made my worst mistakes when I was still a kid.

It sure would have been easier with a supportive parent like you, Zoe Girl!